Parents sued after teens charged in fire at Bernards High

The parents and guardians of teenagers charged in connection with two fires at Bernards High School face a civil lawsuit.

Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance, which covers the Somerset Hills Board of Education, has filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Somerville for damages stemming from the fires on Feb. 10 and 24 at the school on Olcott Avenue.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office has charged a 15-year-old Basking Ridge Boy with two counts each of aggravated arson, burglary and criminal mischief in both incidents. A 15-year-old girl from Far Hills was charged with a single count of aggravated arson and burglary in the Feb. 24 incident.

Two other juveniles, a boy, 15, from Basking Ridge, and a girl, 13, from Far Hills, were charged with criminal trespass involving the second fire, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest previously said.

For now, the lawsuit lists John Doe and Richard Roe as defendants, said Richard Nichols, who filed the lawsuit earlier this month. Nichols said the names of juveniles accused of crimes are kept confidential, but the prosecutor's office would be able to release those records under court order for the litigation.

The district sustained a total loss of $95,815 for the fires, said Nancy Lee Hunter, business administrator. They are expecting a reimbursement of $88,526 from Graphic Arts Mutual, she said.

That doesn't include the cost of cleanup, which the insurance company covered, Hunter added.

The lawsuit accuses the adults of failing to supervise the teenagers, citing a state statue that says parents or guardians of minors who damage public property are liable for the expenses.

"It's our obligation to try to make the insurance company whole," Nichols said.